The ownership of all characters related to and involving the novels of The Vampire Academy and Bloodlines Series remain the sole property of Richelle Mead, the Penguin Group and any affiliates.
No copyrights have been infringed on maliciously.
A/n: Happy New Year, everyone!
As promised, the continuation of ACOTS. Thank you for all your patience, understanding and loyalty to the story whilst it was on hiatus. As always, enjoy.
A Conflict of the Soul
Chapter Six
"Dimitri."
Clinging tightly to my neck, Tasha murmured my name against the skin. Fine tremors shimmied throughout her body at the relief of finding me in one piece, but I couldn't fully appreciate her concern or return her embrace…not when all my attention was centred on Rose.
Furious at the sight of Tasha in my arms, the air around her seemed to shimmer as she fumed in the kind of silent rage that she was helpless to do anything about. The kind that would have only made her angrier. She knew better, or she should have known better, than to react to this, but jealousy wasn't an emotion easily controlled or rationally understood.
I could testify to that.
It also didn't help that I had given Rose every reason to be jealous of Tasha.
During my bid late last year to prove that I could walk away from her, it had been Tasha that I had used as a handy substitute. I knew from the start that no one could replace Rose, and that what I felt for her wasn't anything simple or transient, but I had been desperate enough to try anyway. It had been a stupid decision, but worse, it had also been selfish. I had encouraged Tasha when I knew that I didn't feel the same, hurting not only her in the process but also the girl I loved.
Having done the same with Mason, Rose had understood why I had done it. She hadn't been any happier with me than I was with her about the way we had dealt with it, but in the days following the Spokane incident that had claimed Mason's life, we had cleared the air on any doubts either of us had with each other.
Until two days ago, when I had given her every reason to doubt me.
After our argument in the forest, I could imagine doubt was all she was feeling right now. Doubt of herself, doubt of us…doubt of me. I couldn't blame her for feeling that way, not when I was doubting myself over the decision I had made, but that didn't stop the loss of her trust from knifing sharply through me.
Having never fully forgiven myself for the hurt I caused either of them, it was fitting punishment that now the consequences of my decisions were causing me the greatest pain.
Lowering Tasha gently to her feet, I tried to put some distance between us before my reluctance became obvious. I didn't want to hurt her feelings; she didn't deserve that, but she wouldn't understand that my only concerns were what seeing her in my arms would do to Rose.
Pulling away a little with a frown as she felt the hesitancy of my embrace, Tasha cupped my face, completely oblivious to the interested glances from the guardians, the majority of the seniors, and the white-hot glare of one senior in particular.
"Are you all right, Dimka? Did I hurt you?" Skimming her fingertips lightly over the cuts that had almost healed and the bruises that had turned from angry purple to faint yellow, the worry was clearly visible in her wintry-blue eyes. She thought the hug had aggravated an injury and for the time being it was better that she thought that than know the truth.
Watching Rose carefully from the corner of my eye, I covered Tasha's hands gently with my own and patted them once lightly before pulling them away from my jaw. "I'm fine, Tasha, really."
"You're sure?"
"I am." Not giving her another chance to touch me, I took a deliberate step back and used my next question as a distraction. "Christian obviously phoned you."
Frowning, the ploy worked as I watched a crinkle of annoyance at her nephew pull along the muscles of her face until the movement flattened and pulled taut at the disfigurement on her left cheek. The scar was old; its edges flat and white, but the age of it didn't matter. Not when it had been inflicted by a member of her own family.
That was something that not even time could heal.
Injured whilst trying to protect Christian from his parents; Moroi who had deliberately turned Strigoi, Tasha had suffered numerous injuries, but the laceration to her cheek was the one that would never fully heal...physically or emotionally.
Attacked first by Christian's mother, Moira, Tasha had somehow managed to push him behind her as she backed him into a corner of the family study. Trying valiantly to hold off Moira, it had been her older brother Lucas she had no hope against.
Having already killed two of their guardians, he had lunged at her with speed and strength, sinking his teeth into her left cheek before ripping a fleshy chunk clear away and would have succeeded in killing her had Christian's screaming not alerted others to the attack. Managing to hold them off just long enough for other guardians to arrive, they had been saved, but the damage had already been done…to both her, and her young nephew suddenly orphaned.
I knew that it was a very real fear that Christian still privately harboured. That he would one day succumb to whatever urge had driven his parents to turn and kill, but for Tasha, that fear was unfounded. Unlike her nephew, she wasn't ashamed of what her family members had become and wore the disfiguration of her cheek proudly. In her opinion, it was a testament of survival and strength that the Moroi badly needed.
It was why she had left the community at large. Ostracised already by the scandal, the transition of living with humans had been difficult, but she managed and was now thriving amongst them. It was so the catalyst that drove her campaign for the Moroi to become more pro-active in their own protection.
She, like Victor Dashkov, was convinced that by relying too heavily on guardians for their survival, the Moroi would eventually lose their natural ability to protect themselves. It was a radical idea and one that was very unpopular, but that wasn't about to stop her. She wasn't as fanatical as Victor was, and would certainly never intentionally harm anyone to achieve her goals, but their ideology was very similar.
"Yes, eventually he did…this morning." Scowling now more than frowning, Tasha tossed her glossy black hair over her shoulder. "I didn't believe what he was telling me at first, but the more he talked; the harder it became to not believe him. So I found a substitute teacher who was willing to fill in for my classes and booked the only available flight left out of Minneapolis."
"You know why he didn't tell you sooner, Tasha," I pointed out, defending his actions. "He didn't want to worry you."
"I know. He said the same thing between me yelling at him and crying all over him." Shaking her head ruefully, I could see the slight puffiness around her eyes from the tears. Christian was the only living relative she had who would readily acknowledge her. The thought of losing him was more than terrifying to her.
"This place is a madhouse," she grumbled. "Do you know how long it took me get in?"
"We're still on full lockdown. Did they give you any trouble at the gate?"
Under normal circumstances, anyone who arrived at the gates – Moroi or dhampir – was scrutinized to within an inch of their lives before they were allowed to enter. That security measure would only have intensified since the attack, so for someone like Tasha, who was seen as slightly more than a mild threat to some, it wouldn't have been easy.
Smirking suddenly, Tasha asked with a slightly snide edge. "Why? Did you think they would look at me and see a Strigoi in Moroi clothing?"
"Something like that." Tasha had never as sensitive as Christian to the way they were treated, and often took great delight in making the Moroi uncomfortably aware of exactly what she thought of them. "Did you terrorize them?"
Laughing, Tasha winked conspiratorially. "Only a little, but they already had their hands full, so I couldn't gnash my teeth or lick my lips around them as much as I wanted."
"I'm sorry. That must have been very disappointing for you." Smiling at her smirk, it was very easy to fall into a familiar cadence with her. It didn't require any effort at all, but there was something about it now that didn't quite feel the same. It didn't feel wrong, but it didn't feel right either.
"A little, but I was more anxious to actually get in then to argue about how I got in." Grinning widely for a second and exposing her canines, Tasha's humour seemed to disappear as quickly as it had begun whilst looking around the room. Being set up for the enquiry by the guardians attending the marking ceremony, they were pretending not to pay us any attention, but weren't doing a very good job at it.
Frowning, Tasha's concern wasn't for their obvious scrutiny, but at the battered state of so many of them.
Most of the minor injuries had already healed, but for other's the healing would take far longer than even our regenerative properties could deal with. Stan was one of them. Nodding to her courteously as he stacked a chair, the gash on his head was still bandaged and would be for some time.
"I managed to get some information out of them at the gate – information that Christian wouldn't give me over the phone." Tasha muttered, smiling gently at him as he passed before turning to look at me with eyes saddened by the truth of what she now knew had happened. "Did we really lose thirty-four?"
Frowning, my eyes narrowed "You only found that out when you arrived? Did no one tell you anything before?"
"Who else was going to tell me, Dimka?" Tasha asked softly. "It's not like I could make a call that would be answered by any of them. Not even the one's that do still speak to me."
Feeling a rise of heat flush through me at the apathy of the Moroi, I didn't force the issue and instead gave her a brief run-down of what had happened during the attack and those we had not only lost, but rescued. Nodding in places, obviously because it agreed with the bits of information she already had, it wasn't until I told her about the wards that Tasha interrupted.
"Wait…you're saying that the wards were broken by Magic use close to them? That's how the Strigoi got in?"
"Yes."
"Does anyone know how many attacked?"
"Not accurately, but best guess puts them somewhere around fifty."
"Fifty?" Tasha whispered in disbelief, folding her arms over her midriff and leaning back against a trestle table. "So many, that well organized? That's incredible…horrific, but incredible. It also explains why there are members of the council here."
"You saw them?"
"Outside. They look very grim…and very determined."
"They are, and that's the problem. They're not going to analyse this rationally. All they're looking for is a scapegoat to point the finger of blame at, and right now, that's Alberta."
"Of course it is," Tasha scoffed, shaking her head. "What did you expect? They're never going to admit to Tatiana or her sycophants that we were completely unprepared for what's happened, that everyone was unprepared because they never though this would happen. This is exactly what I've said would happen all along."
Pushing away from the table, Tasha reached out and hooked a finger into the cable-knit of my sweater. "This is why the Moroi have got to learn to fight, Dimka."
Recognizing the determined glint in her eyes, and knowing that if I didn't divert her it would turn into another Idaho recruiting rally, I focused my attention on her favourite subject…her nephew.
"Christian did."
Beaming and immediately distracted, Tasha nodded. "He told me. I was horrified at first at the thought of him confronting them without any training, but also very proud. Not only of him, but of Rose as well. He told me what she did – what they did together. I couldn't believe she killed so many." Looking over my shoulder, she spotted the person in question and the beam widened until the scar puckered beneath her eye.
"She hasn't even graduated yet, and already she's received a Zvezda. It's incredible." Tasha raved. "I mean, how old is she? Eighteen?"
"Almost. Her birthday's next week. March 21st."
"Incredible," she repeated, shaking her head in wonder and admiration at a girl who, because of me, would now never return it. Reaching out to lightly run her fingers over the covering at the nape of my own neck before I could react, Tasha looked a little sad, but proud at the same time. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be here to see you receive yours, Dimka."
"It's just another tattoo, Tasha. You didn't miss much." Twisting away from her touch, I wasn't fast enough to evade either her or her intentions. Grabbing my hand, she tugged hard. "Come on."
Towing me towards Rose before I could form any objection, she was off to the side of the room and out of the way of the others. Standing with her was Eddie, who spotted us before she did. Smiling almost shyly, he pushed away from the wall to reach out and shake her hand whilst a faint blush spread across the freckles sprinkled over the bridge of his nose.
Surprised by the reaction as the two exchanged pleasantries, I hadn't though that there had been much of an opportunity for Tasha to make an impression on him when they had met late last year…obviously I was wrong.
"Hi, Rose." Engulfing her in a tight hug as Eddie moved aside, Tasha didn't seem to notice the way that Rose stiffened at the embrace. It was very subtle, and to most it would have been overlooked, but I knew her every reaction as well as I did my own. I didn't blame her for it, but being rude to Tasha wasn't fair to her, or acceptable behaviour.
Eyeing her warningly, she reluctantly returned Tasha's hug with a lukewarm attempt. The jealousy still simmered around her, barely under control, and as she glared at me over Tasha's shoulder, the dangerous gleam in the depths of her rich-brown eyes promised retribution in return for her good behaviour.
Smiling tightly at Tasha when she was released, Rose backed away a pace or two until her back was flattened against the wall. Folding her arms tightly over her chest, she eyed the pair of us with barely leashed hostility whilst Tasha smiled at her warmly. "I can't tell you how proud I am of you and Christian, Rose…and of you, too, Eddie." She gushed, seemingly oblivious to the hostile air of tension around her.
"I didn't really do anything…except wait around to be rescued again." Eddie chipped in; laughing gruffly, but there was no real amusement in the sound. Turning to him, Rose rubbed the flat of her palm over his arm in silent comfort.
"You'll have your chance, Eddie." Tasha soothed almost maternally. "You can't let this discourage you. Christian told me you were doing your job when you were taken. That's nothing to be ashamed of. I have no doubt that you will prove yourself in the years to come…just as Rose already has. What you all did was incredibly brave."
Rushing Rose a little, Tasha cupped her face and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before leaning back and gazing at her in wondering gratitude and taking a step back. "Thank you for protecting my nephew."
"He protected himself mostly," Rose muttered, flustered and uncomfortable with Tasha's affection when she had conflicting emotions about her. "Christian was amazing. I just staked when I saw an opening. Right time, right, place."
"I know he did, but I also think you're not taking enough credit for what you did, Rose." Tasha admonished softly. "That tattoo on your neck is proof that what you accomplished had more to do with skill and instinct than just good timing. Don't sell yourself short, sweetheart."
Silent for a moment at the unexpectedness of genuine praise, the aggression in Rose's stance began to ease slightly as she relaxed her guard…until Tasha tucked her arm through my own and attached herself to my side. "Of course, some of that praise should also go to your instructor." Nudging against my hip playfully,
Tasha winked at the pair before glancing up at me. Eddie returned the grin; Rose clenched her jaw and refolded her arms over her chest, all softening towards Tasha gone in an instant.
"You really should have taken me up on my offer, Dimitri. If you were my guardian instead of a combat instructor, I can guarantee it would have been far less dangerous…and there would have been far more benefits." Eyeing me provocatively, there was no mistaking what she meant, but as her intent gaze travelled over the length of my body, she frowned suddenly in surprise; only just realising something was missing.
"Dimka…where's your duster?"
"It was destroyed during the attack." Covering her hand, I tried to pry her fingers off from my arm so that I could once again put distance between us, but she was tenacious and wasn't about to let go.
"Oh, no." Tasha sighed in regret. "You love that duster." Staring into the distance for a second, she nodded to herself as she made a decision. "There must be somewhere in Missoula that keeps them. I'll go tomorrow and see if I can find a replacement for you."
Watching peripherally, I saw Rose's fingers curl jealously before digging into the muscle of her bicep.
"No, really, Tasha. You don't need to. It's not important."
"Of course I do." Tasha argued against my protest, smiling with indulgent warmth that was a little too intimate for comfort. "It's my treat. Maybe you can drive in with me tomorrow? Like we did last year? We had fun on that trip." Murmuring suggestively, she was too intent on convincing me that it was a good idea to pay careful attention to Rose's murderous glare.
My attention however, was focused entirely on Rose.
I had never told her what had happened between Tasha and I last year, and she had never asked. More than happy to leave certain things unsaid, it wasn't just because my behaviour had embarrassed me, but because I knew that she wouldn't want to hear about it. I would have preferred for it to stay that way, but Tasha had just made that impossible.
"I don't think that they'd allow it, Tasha." I quickly reasoned as an excuse, no more eager to be alone with her than Rose was to see me go. "We're still short-staffed and I have no idea what will happen after the enquiry…it's not the right time to do this."
"It's not fair."
Glancing at Eddie, he was frowning in disgust. "What isn't fair, Eddie?"
"This enquiry. Firstly, none of the novices are allowed in, even though they were included in everything…the attack, the rescue. And secondly, you know that they're going to be gunning for Guardian Petrov. They're going to want to blame her for all of this."
"I agree with Eddie." Pushing away from the wall, Rose looped her arm though his as the room's set-up was complete and it began to empty of guardians. "This is bullshit. We're being sidelined again because they still think of us as kids. We're not…we should be able to speak in there. To defend Alberta. She did nothing wrong. If it wasn't for her, those we rescued would have died in the caves…Eddie would have died in those caves."
Grimacing, he sighed as Tasha nodded. "It doesn't seem fair, does it?" she consoled. "But there isn't anything that can be done about it by the novices, Rose. Dimitri and the others will do what they can. I'm sure they'll defend Alberta's actions. Right?"
"As much as we can," I agreed, answering both her question and the earlier one from Rose, who had asked as much. "We've already discussed amongst ourselves that our first priority is to protect her, but we're also going to be under oath. Lying would be perjury."
And having already committed it once to protect another, it wasn't something that I planned on doing again.
"Will that be enough?"
"I don't know, Eddie, but right now, that's all we can do."
Eyeing Rose at my response, he sighed unhappily, but said nothing more as the last of the guardians left the room. Soft voices floated towards us through the corridor leading from the lobby. One of them was Kirova, and what I thought was Alberta. The others I didn't recognize, but could only guess at.
"We have to go. The council members will be here soon."
Pulling Rose out with him, Tasha and I followed after Eddie into the corridor. Meeting Alberta as we side-stepped to let them past, her expression was calm, but there was a grim undertone to her demeanour. Kirova followed after her, but gave us no notice, all but falling over her feet as she fawned over the council members. The six of them crossed the threshold and shut the door with a decisive click behind them.
"I know one of them," Tasha murmured, arching a brow as we entered the lobby full of guardians waiting to be called in to testify. "Delia Marston…the eldest of them. She's been head of the enquiry committee for a long time and is an interrogator, not an interviewer. She'll lull you into a false sense of security, but don't fall for it. Watch out for her, Dimka."
"How do you know that? I thought you didn't have contact with anyone at Court?"
"Not many, but there are few there who aren't as hard-nosed as others about my family or my cause. They'll tell you the same thing about Marston."
"Thank you for the warning. I appreciate it." Holding the lobby door open as Eddie and Rose passed through it, Tasha laughed softly.
"If you really appreciated it, you would stop arguing with me about the shopping trip."
"Tasha."
"Fine, no shopping, but you're not wriggling out of dinner tonight. I already know that you're off duty."
Watching every muscle stiffen in Rose's back as she heard Tasha's invitation, dinner with her in any form was a bad idea. No matter how platonic I kept the evening, Tasha would still get the wrong idea…and so would Rose. I also still wanted to be able to talk to Rose after the enquiry. If I had a dinner to go to, that wouldn't happen tonight, and I didn't want to leave things unsaid between us for much longer.
Giving Rose Hathaway time to stew was never a good idea.
"Thank you for the invite, but this enquiry could go on until late, Tasha. I don't want to spoil the meal by arriving at midnight."
"Oh, nonsense. The food will keep. Guest housing is arranging everything in the private dining-room."
"They put you in housing?"
"They did. I'm sure they would have been happy to put me back in the cabin, but they said that for security reasons I could stay in housing. Generous of them, wasn't it? I've already invited Christian and Lissa," Tasha continued blithely. "Rose, you and Eddie are welcome to join us, of course. There will be more than enough food."
"That sounds gre-…"
"Sorry, we're still on curfew, so we won't be allowed." Rose interrupted abruptly, pulling Eddie along with her and ignoring his bewildered expression. She suddenly seemed in a great hurry to get away from us and I knew that it had nothing to do with breaking curfew. The last thing I wanted was for her to leave thinking that this dinner was something that I wanted, but how could I tell her anything different?
"Are you sure? I could talk to Kirova. I'm sure she would allow it. It's only one night."
"Positive." Smiling tightly, her eyes met mine for a second before sliding away quickly.
"Rose…"
"It's already after curfew, we have to go." Towing the still bewildered Eddie along with her, he waved in goodbye before turning to look at her in concern. Watching them disappear into the lamp lit night; there was nothing more than I could do but watch as Tasha looped her arm around mine. She didn't seem to notice that my attention was elsewhere or that I stood rigidly miserable beside her as she prattled on fondly.
"They're so adorable together. Don't you think they'd make a cute couple?"
"They're only friends, Tasha."
"Does Rose even date? I can't imagine she wouldn't. She's gorgeous."
"Yes. She is."
"Oh, wait…there was that poor boy that was killed in Spokane." Tasha continued, either not hearing what I had said or choosing to overlook it. "Weren't they dating?"
"I don't think it was anything serious." There was no doubt there. I knew why Rose had encouraged the relationship, and how much that decision still haunted her. Mason's death was not her fault, but it made no difference to the guilt she would always carry with her. Saying her final goodbyes in the forest had given her a sense of closure, but I didn't think she would ever fully forgive herself.
"What was his name?"
"Mason Ashford."
"That's right…Mason. Seemed like a nice boy." Shivering a little at the cool breeze floating over the grounds, Tasha glanced back over my shoulder at the lobby. "Looks like they're starting in there." Following her gaze, the lobby monitor was leading Mateo Ramirez towards the corridor as the first of us to be interviewed.
"Looks like it. I need to go. Will you be all right getting back to housing? Do you need someone to walk with you?"
"Such a gentleman," Tasha mocked softly. "I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about…you and the others. Remember what I said about Marston."
"I'll remember. Thank you again for the information, Tasha."
"And I'll see you at dinner later, right?"
Seeing no other way out of it, the best I could hope for was that it was over quickly and I could still get to Rose before the night was over. "Sure."
"Great. Good luck, Dimka." Lifting to her toes quickly, she kissed my cheek. Lingering for too long against the stubble-roughened skin, her lips coasted towards my lips, but as they touched the corner of my mouth, my head jerked away. Startled by the movement, Tasha's icy-blue eyes widened. Smiling stiffly to try and cover the obvious rejection, my head tilted towards housing.
"I really do need to go, Tasha."
Smiling in return at my weak excuse, there was obvious strain on the pull of the muscles. Tasha was a strong woman, but I knew that I had hurt her by pulling away. "Sure, I understand. See you later." Following the lamp-lit pathway towards guest housing, Tasha's slender form moved quickly along it until I could no longer see her.
Swearing viciously to myself in the quiet of the night, my hands scrubbed tiredly over my face. Disappointed with myself for not handling this better, the alternative of allowing Tasha to kiss me wasn't something I could stomach either.
And if Rose had found out….
Shuddering at the thought, I pushed through the lobby doors of housing. Gestured over to a long couch to the left of the lobby monitor's desk by Dustin, he sat there with Kon, Emil and Stan. Others had gathered in small clusters around the room, talking quietly to themselves, but it was hard not to miss the strain of having to wait. We were all prepared to protect Alberta and her decisions, but the guardians were justifiably on edge.
"Was that Natasha Ozera?"
Slotting myself between Dustin and Stan, my legs stretched out as I folded my hands over my lap. "Yes. She came to check on Christian."
"Only Christian?"
Glaring irritably at Kon's sly grin, he chuckled quietly to himself. "Tasha's never made it any secret that she wants more than your protective skills, Dimitri."
"I'm well aware of that, Konrad, but as I told her last year, my loyalty is the Princess."
"You are such a boy scout, Belikov," he scoffed, shaking his head. "If I was offered guarding her body, day and night, I wouldn't even hesitate to say yes."
"Twisted fantasies aside, Kon," I interrupted dryly. "Tasha also warned me about Guardian Marston."
"Which one is Marston?" Stan asked, looking up as the lobby monitor answered the phone at the desk, before rising from behind it and walking briskly down the corridor. We heard the door of the meeting room close loudly behind her.
"The tall, severe looking woman in the lead. According to Tasha, she's ruthless, although portrays herself as sympathetic and understanding. Out of the four Council members, she's the one that everyone needs to be wary of." Looking around the room, my voice had deliberately risen just enough for everyone to hear.
"She's right," Dustin confirmed, scowling darkly. "Marston has a reputation at Court for being brutal in her pursuit of the truth. She was in charge of the enquiry that almost saw Mikhail Tanner lose his job after he left to hunt down Sonya Karp. The woman is not to be underestimated, by anyone."
Again, this was said loud enough for everyone to hear, but before there was a chance for anyone to ask a question, the monitor returned and cleared her throat as she stood with her fidgeting hands clasped over her front at the edge of the corridor. "Guardian Ramirez? They're ready for you now." Rising immediately, he nodded to her before looking over to Alberta. She sat with Janine and Gregor. Meeting his steady gaze, she remained composed as he followed after the monitor.
Almost an hour passed before we heard the door down the corridor open again. Talking quietly amongst ourselves during the wait to kill time, the monitor returned alone before calling for Dustin. Rising, he turned to us with his bushy eyebrows knitting over his nose. "Where's Ramirez?"
"He must have been sent out through the back. They don't want us talking to anyone who's already been interviewed. They want us going in blind."
Agreeing with Emil's grim answer, Dustin gave a short nod before leaving. One by one they were called in…the replacement guardians from Court, Gregor, Janine, Stan, Morgan, Stephen, Emil, until finally, it was my turn. "Guardian Belikov? They're ready for you now."
Finding Alberta across the room, it was clear now that she would be the last to be called in. Still outwardly calm, I could only imagine what she felt like on the inside. Nodding reassuringly to her, I followed after the monitor. Knocking softly on the door before opening it, I slipped through before it was hastily closed. Facing the four guardians as they sat at the clothed trestle table, there was only a single chair not stacked in the room. Placed in the middle, it was meant to signify isolation.
Tasha was right…it was the set-up of an interrogation.
Pleasantly neutral, the faces of the guardians looking back at me were unflinching. They weren't meant to intimidate, not yet at any rate. Smiling pleasantly, Guardian Marston nodded towards the chair as the bright, overhead light caught at the silver strands in her hair, but the light also caught at something in her eyes…something to be wary of.
"Please have a seat, Guardian Belikov."
Sitting with a nod, I mimicked their posture and expressions perfectly, observing them as carefully as they observed me. Seated apart by equal spacing, the four were made up of two men and two women who ranged in age and sex.
"My name is Delia Marston. To my right are Guardian's Henry Jerkewitz and Annabeth Harper. To my left is Guardian Frederic González. We have been sent by the Council to investigate the incidents that occurred on the early morning and every evening of March the Sixteenth. You understand that you are being recorded and that anything you say may be used later in accordance with any criminal proceedings, should they be necessary?"
Eyeing the device on the table and digesting the implications of anything criminal, I didn't have any other choice but to agree.
"I do."
"Excellent. Then let's proceed." Looking once more at her notes, she asked as her head rose. "We understand that you and a novice were the first to encounter the Strigoi before the attack on the upper campus. Is this correct?"
"It is."
Reading again, a slightly frown pinched at her already withered features. "Rosemarie Hathaway was the novice, correct?"
"She was."
Nodding slightly she said nothing more before focusing on me again. "Please detail what you and Ms. Hathaway found in the forest."
Running through the details of the encounter in the woods, I kept my explanation succinct and didn't embellish as they took their own notes whilst listening to every word I had to say.
"And after you had sent Ms. Hathaway to sound the alarm, what occurred next?"
"I continued to defend the school whilst waiting for reinforcements."
"And how soon would you say those reinforcements arrived, Guardian Belikov?"
Irritated by the direction of her question, I could feel the heat of anger begin to bloom in the pit of my stomach. They were determined to find fault not just with Alberta, but with all of us. "As quickly as they were able to, Guardian Marston."
Glancing up from her scribbling, the elder of the committee members seemed to hear the irked subtext of my reply despite my outward composure. Calculating almost on whether it was something worth her time to pursue, she reshuffled her notes and instead asked.
"And then what happened?"
"Once the Strigoi in the forest were eliminated, we made our way back to the upper grounds. The elementary campus was overrun with Strigoi by then, so we concentrated our defences there before sweeping through the grounds. With the sunrise, those not eliminated fled the grounds."
"But not before Moroi lives were lost, and others were carried off."
Cornered against the wall by our failures, it didn't really matter what I said in defence to her quiet condemnation…and I wanted very badly to defend our failures. I wanted to point out that it hadn't just been Moroi lives lost, but guardians as well. That a dhampir life was no less valuable than a Moroi's, but it would have been a waste of my time and breath.
They wanted their pound of flesh and were prepared to use any means to get it.
"No, Guardian Marston. Not before that."
Nodding again, she took no notes this time. "Tell us, please, about the rescue operation that followed the attack."
Explaining the guesswork of the caves – without divulging Rose's or Mason's involvement – they listened intently, asking the occasional question as I outlined Janine's suggestion of the rescue, followed by Alberta's decision to vote on the rescue.
"Guardian Petrov asked for a vote after Guardian Hathaway suggested the rescue operation? An unsanctioned rescue operation that neither of them could be bothered to tell the Council about in advance?"
"She did."
"So all guardians, as well as the Moroi involved, volunteered to venture out of school grounds and into a cave system they were completely unfamiliar with, to face dangers that could have killed them, all on guesswork?"
"They did." I answered with calm authority, declining to mention that it had been poor Celeste who had protested the most, and had ultimately lost her life. "They all felt that the cave would have made an ideal cover during daylight hours. That even if there was a remote chance that the thirteen that had been taken were still alive, they wouldn't last much longer than the evening. We knew the Strigoi would move again after dusk, so we had to move quickly, and we were right to. Guardian Petrov made the right call."
"But also the wrong call, because more lives were lost in the process." Scanning his notes, Guardian Jerkewitz scowled, his receding hairline pulled lower over his brow and dark grey eyes. "Another five guardians were killed in the cave during the rescue."
"Yes, another five are dead, but we got more out than we lost."
"Some might say Guardian Belikov, that the thirty-four lives lost did not justify the rescue."
"We didn't lose thirty-four in the cave, Guardian Jerkewitz…we lost most of them within the grounds of the Academy in the initial attack."
"Guardian Hathaway has mentioned in her testimony that you had a theory about how the wards were broken. Can you please explain?"
"The theory isn't mine, Guardian González. It's Ms. Hathaway's. She pieced together that when magic is being used close to the wards, it nullifies its effects. Much in the same way that a stake does. The Strigoi could sense the wards failing along the boundary fence, and bided their time until they could find a weak enough spot to break through."
"The wards were weakened by magic? Why was magic being used so close to them?"
"A group of Moroi had gathered on the outskirts of the forest to…practice. Hone their magic skills, if you like. They would have had no idea that what they were doing was destroying the very magic that kept them safe."
"And you're certain of this, Guardian Belikov?"
"Yes."
"Are these Moroi still at the school?"
"No, Guardian Jerkewitz. They were removed by their parents prior to the memorial service." Taking more notes, this obviously wasn't something they wanted to hear, mostly, because to lay the blame at the Moroi's feet would achieve nothing. It was still dhampir heads that had to roll.
"We've also had reports that some suspect as many as fifty Strigoi, Guardian Belikov. Do you concur?"
"I do, Guardian Harper."
"I must admit, the Council finds this a little hard to swallow. Strigoi have never before been found to organize themselves into groups larger than two or three. Now you want us to believe that dozens of them united in a single attacking group?"
"You have the report from the Alchemist's on how many bodies they disposed of, don't you?" I asked bluntly, my capacity for patience and respect almost at an end.
"Yes," she answered tightly, clearly not very happy with having to answer questions instead of ask them.
"Then you know for yourself the number. We didn't drag all of them from the cave; we simply added the ones we killed there to the pile of Strigoi dead that were already waiting on the edge of the forest for the Alchemist's to dispose of."
"So then who…or what would you blame for this attack, Guardian Belikov?" Guardian Marston asked, glancing sideways at Guardian Harper, who fell silent almost immediately.
"We are, Guardian Marston. All of us. The Court, the Council, the Academies…Moroi and dhampir alike."
Arching a brow as her nostrils flared in anger, it was the most emotion I had seen from her since arriving, and it gave me a small sense of satisfaction to know that I had hit a nerve. "Please explain that last comment, Guardian Belikov."
"We've been living off the arrogance of our own assumptions. Strigoi are not organized, Strigoi don't unify to attack in mass, the wards are all we need, the wards can never fail…but it's all wrong. If we had been pro-active, if we had been better prepared, instead of believing that we were untouchable, this might have been prevented."
Leaning forward, Guardian Marston clenched her bony fingers tightly together. "Guardian Belikov…you are attacking every belief that makes up the system that we live by. A system that you live by. A system that we train our novices by, do I have that right?"
"I'm attacking them, Guardian Marston, because they're outdated. They need to evolve, like we do…like the Strigoi already have. Look around you. Our greatest defence failed. What more do you need to convince you that we are all to blame for what's happened?"
Chewing on her bottom lip, the look in her eye raised the hairs on the back of my neck in alarm. "I believe you know Natasha Ozera. She has a few very radical ideas about the part that the Moroi should play in their protection. You sound almost as radical right now, Guardian Belikov, in your criticism of a system that has been working for centuries."
"If by radical, you mean progressive, then yes, I am. We need to learn not only from our own mistakes, but also from our enemy. We have massively underestimated them, and if we continue to do so, this will happen again. I'm not saying that we have to throw out our system, Guardian Marston, but the Council needs to seriously consider overhauling it."
Sitting back in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest whilst a muscle jumped tightly in her jaw. "Thank you for your time, Guardian Belikov…and your opinions. Your testimony will be taken into account, and should it be of any use, you will be called to re-testify in front of the Council at Court in the coming months. A final decision will be made then on any commendations…or punishments. We won't keep you any longer."
"Of course. I understand. Thank you." Rising, I strode to the door and was out into the corridor a second later. Meeting the monitor, she walked me through to the rear and showed me out of the door usually used as an emergency exit. Stepping out into the cold, the grounds were quiet as I breathed in deeply of the night air.
I didn't know if my testimony or any of the others would be enough to save Alberta, but judging by the fact that there would still be a formal hearing at Court, it meant that for the moment, she had avoided the chopping block. I only hoped that by exposing the flaws and failures of our system, it would make them think twice about trying to pin the blame on her.
Checking the time, it was just after nine and already too late to see Rose, but not late enough to use as an excuse to skip Tasha's dinner. Sighing wearily, I rolled my head on my neck and forced myself to walk to guest housing when it was the last thing I wanted to do.
Shown into the private dining-room of guest housing a few minutes later, the interior was lavishly decorated in understated tones of maroon and cream. The muted light from candles and lamps dimmed gave the setting a more intimate feel…not something that I wanted.
Feeling decidedly uneasy, the table I was lead to was set in an alcove in the back. Walled in on either side, it was almost cut off from the rest of the dining-room. Skirting a table being cleared of cutlery and cutlery, it was Christian who came into view first. Spotting me, he smiled broadly as Lissa craned her head to the side and smiled just as widely.
Thankful that they were actually here, and that Tasha hadn't just used them as an excuse to get me to dinner, she was the next in view. Styled impeccably, her upswept hair perfectly showcased the pale, slender length of her neck. Eyes sparking in pleasure as she saw me, the awkwardness of earlier was nowhere to be found as she waved with a twinkling motion of her fingers.
Resigning myself to the evening because I didn't want to spoil it for her or them, it wasn't until I had cleared the wall and saw the fourth person at the table that I realised the evening was spoiled already, because lounging across the seat as if he owned it, was Adrian Ivashkov.